


Spinning the Narada - Resurrection

by BlueSkyFlying



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, post Narada
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-05-27 09:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15021230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueSkyFlying/pseuds/BlueSkyFlying
Summary: Sequel to Spinning the Narada.  Follows upon the Admiralty's decision to expel Kirk from the Academy and wipe his name from the record as far as the Narada and destruction of Vulcan are concerned.  We now see his friends gathering to try to put things right.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Spinning the Narada" was originally an AU where Kirk was expelled and started a new life in small town America. However, some readers were unhappy that the Admiralty would be allowed to get away with this (and why would Pike, Spock et al even stand for it?) so here is the sequel leading to a happy ending.

Chapter 1

 

Cheyenne Community Hospital

“Dr McCoy? Dr McCoy? Leonard where the hell are you?”

The senior neurology consultant’s admin assistant came in and looked round the office. It was empty but Carla went over the small en-suite and banged unceremoniously on the door.

“Come on, I know you’re in there.”

“I’m on a break. Leave me alone,” came the voice from within.

“There’s someone to see you.”

“Then tell them to make an appointment. I’m busy.”

“No you’re not – you’re sitting on the toilet reading the paper.”

“Like I said, busy.”

“He said it was important. I’m letting him in now so wash your hands and come on out.”

Carla turned to the tall visitor who was listening with amusement.

“I’m sorry, Mr Pike. He’ll be out directly …” raising her voice “OR I’LL GO IN AND GET HIM FOR YOU.”

She smiled apologetically and left them to it.

McCoy came out muttering to himself and Pike was pleased to see that his jaw did actually drop.

“Admiral Pike. Well, I’ll be damned. You’re walking.” McCoy eyed him up and down and actually did a 360 degree walk round. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Yeah well, walking is a bit of an exaggeration so do you mind if we sit down?”

“Oh yeah, of course. My god man, you’re up and walking. Last time I saw you you were still in a coma.”

“I believe I have you to thank for a lot of the work that has got me here.”

McCoy shook his head. “I only stabilised you until we got back to Starfleet Medical.”

“That’s not what I heard so – thank you. But that’s not what I’m here for. McCoy – I was out of it for for months and even when I finally did come round, well, they kept a lot from me. It’s only within the past week that I found out what happened – how they spun the whole Narada thing.” Pike pushes his fingers through his hair, his whole body language reflecting his confusion and anger. “I wake up and suddenly instead of being dead, I’m an Admiral with a medal. Spock and I are heroes of the Federation and Jim Kirk is a disgraced graduate who was expelled for cheating on the Kobyashi Maru.”

McCoy closed his eyes and sighed.

“Why are you here, Admiral?”

Pike looked at him as if it should be obvious.

“I need to see Kirk.”

“Why?”

“I have to try to make this right. McCoy, I have to do something.”

“What exactly?” McCoy leant forward in his chair suddenly furious. “What are you going to do? Now? It’s too late now. Do you know what it was like when those Starfleet morons turned up on the Enterprise and took Jim away from us and then rewrote history? We were threatened, Admiral. Toe the Starfleet line or face the consequences. I have a daughter. They threatened me with taking her away from me for ever. How do you think I felt betraying Jim? How do you think I felt when we got back and it was all press and media and commendations. And LIES! Nothing but lies.”

Pike stiffened and was about to argue but McCoy beat him to it.

“I’m not a cadet anymore Admiral. I’m not in Starfleet anymore and I thank God for that everyday. So I can just tell you to leave. Shut the door on your way out.”

“I understand how you feel. I feel that way myself. As soon as I was awake I had the full strength of the Admiralty bearing down on me to tell me what “officially” happened as if I hadn’t been there in the bloody middle of it. And as for that guy Deacon – a PR guy giving orders like he’s the head of Starfleet.   They were actually setting up interviews for me 24 hours after I woke up. But first things first. I think that you know where Kirk is.”

“No you don’t. It took me almost seven months to track him down and you don’t want to know what state he was in when I found him. But he’s getting better slowly and I don’t want you turning up, turning him upside down again just so you can say sorry ‘bout what’s happened. Now I’m pleased that you’re doing better. I’m real glad you’re up and about again, but that part of our lives is over. ”

“I need to see him, McCoy. I was his adviser for three years, goddammit. I just can’t let this sit.”

“Forgive me, Admiral, but I don’t think there’s anything else you can do except let it sit. That was nearly a year ago now. What can anyone do now? Why rake it all up again for him? Can you even imagine what it was like for him? Not just to be wiped from the record but to be publicly humilated? You cannot imagine what the media coverage was like those first weeks. It was non-stop but no matter how much coverage they gave you and Spock as the conquering heroes, no matter how much hand-wringing over Vulcan, there was always a little bit of air time to reference the irony of the great George Kirk’s fuck up son being thrown out of the Academy just as the Enterprise was facing down his father’s killer.”

“I want to –“

“He’s changed his name, you know. Had to. “

Pike grimaced. “Look, just tell him that I want to see him. Leave the decision up to him, okay?” Pke slowly got to his feet. It was obviously a strain and the doctor in McCoy itched to help, even as his anger held him back.

“Just tell him.”

\-----

 

At the end of the day McCoy drove slowly back to Flintstone. It was difficult to focus on the road the way his mind was buzzing with anger and worry. Damn Pike! What was he going to tell Jim? He knew that Jim had been very close to Pike, who had almost been a father figure to the young cadet. He knew that Jim would want to know that Pike had recovered from his terrible injuries. But everything was still so raw.

He pulled into the drive of the small house he had bought on the outskirts of town. He didn’t expect that Jim would be home yet. He often worked late at the garage, so glad and grateful to Theodore for giving him the job in the first place that he worked all hours.

The house was spotless. Jim was embarrassed that on his minimum wage job he couldn’t contribute much towards expenses so he did the cleaning round the house, tidied the yard, cooked. McCoy sometimes felt that he hadn’t so much invited his best friend to share the house as got himself a live-in maid service. Sometimes he felt that Jim would have preferred to have stayed in that grimy room above the garage just to avoid feeling beholden. The old Jim would have been introducing the good people of Flintstone to the latest cocktails by working at the local bar or making plans to rob the Flintstone Bank. McCoy wanted that old Jim back again.

McCoy was frequently reminded of a brilliant mind stagnating to the extent that he had bought a top of the range Padd and then spent time bashing it against a wall, later telling Jim that someone at the hospital was just going to throw it out and perhaps he could fix it? Of course he could fix it and McCoy was rewarded by seeing Jim again immersing himself in mathematics and astrophysics. Sometimes Jim would chatter away and McCoy could almost imagine they were back at the Academy before everything went pear shaped. Then Jim would fall silent as a memory crept through and he would quietly say goodnight and go to his room.

As he had expected, the house was empty. Jim had a pack of spaghetti out by the stove with a jar of pasta sauce and a large covered bowl of grated Parmesan. MyCoy decided to give it a miss in favour of a beer. Kicking off his shoes he slumped on the couch. Tomorrow was Saturday and he was going to have a long lie in bed and then maybe he and Jim could explore some of the surrounding countryside. Then he would have to think about Pike and what he was going to say to Jim. He would have to say something. Pike wasn’t the type to give up. It would probably be fairly easy for him to track McCoy down – he had found him in Cheyenne. His colleagues at the hospital knew he also worked part-time in Flintstone.

He was surprised when Jim came in not long after.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“No – got finished sooner than I expected . Have you had dinner yet?”

“Nope.”

“Okay – give me ten to get showered and then we’ll eat.”

Jim went upstairs and McCoy soon heard water running. Ten minutes later Jim came back down in threadbare t shirt and jeans, barefoot and rubbing at his damp hair with a towel.

“I’ll put the spaghetti on and then you can tell me all about your day in the big city. Want another beer?”

“I would not say no, as you’re asking” smiled McCoy. “Hey I thought we’d maybe do some exploring tomorrow. Maybe do some hiking?”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Jim shouted back from the kitchen.

As Jim moved around the kitchen, there was a knock at the front door. “S’okay, I’ve got it,” said Jim.

McCoy struggled to his feet. “No, wait – .“

Too late. He could tell by the silence who it was. McCoy pushed past Jim who was standing in the doorway with his mouth open.

“You followed me home goddammit? How dare you!”

Pike did not look at all apologetic. “Like I said, I wanted to talk to Jim. Can I come in?”

McCoy was a second away from slamming the door in his face, but then Jim stepped back and Pike stepped forward into the room.

“It’s good to see you again, Jim.”

Jim looked confusedly at McCoy. “You knew?”

“He turned up at the hospital earlier. I was going to tell you after dinner.”

Jim was still in shock. “Um, Admiral, I didn’t know you were – it’s good to see you. You’re looking great, I mean, I didn’t know if you were even – and you’re walking again. They said you probably wouldn’t. I – it’s just - ,” then he was in Pike’s arms, hugging him as if he was never going to let go. Pike held on just as tightly.

“Aw Jim, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

McCoy felt like throwing the comforting words right back in Pike’s face. How was it going to be okay? He shouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. Getting Jim all excited again. His anger must have shown on his face because Pike gave Jim a final hug and then pulled back.

“Well, can I sit down? I may be back on my feet technically but the legs are still a bit wobbly.”

Jim wiped his eyes quickly with his sleeve and smiled weakly. He guided Pike to the couch. McCoy sat down heavily in the armchair opposite and took a swig from his beer bottle, making it obvious that he wasn’t going to be plying the uninvited guest with refreshments.

Jim’s face was alight, he was giddy with excitement. What did Pike see, McCoy thought, when he looked at Jim? Not the cocky youngster who had led him a merry hell at the Academy, now just a skinny kid in civvies whose face showed the stresses of the past year.

“How long – I mean, when did you get out of the hospital?” Jim asked.

“They brought me out of the coma a couple of months ago and since then it’s been pretty intensive therapy to get me to this stage. I never really thought they would get me back on my feet but here I am.”

“Yeah, “ growled McCoy into his beer. “Here you are.”

“Jim, I told McCoy. I didn’t know what they had been doing, about what they did to you or I would have done something. I’m so sorry.”

Jim dropped his head in embarrassment.

“They tried to make me go public, to follow their line. They have an award ceremony planned and everything but I wouldn’t. Not until I’d seen you. I tried to make them see that what they did to you was wrong.”

“Yeah, well, it’s done now,” mumbled Jim.

“No, it’s not. I’m not here to apologise on behalf of the Admiralty. I’m not here to thank you for saving my life. I want you back, Jim. Back in Starfleet.”

“Oh yeah?” broke in McCoy cynically. “How’s that going to work then? Are Komack and Barnett going to roll out the welcome mat and say they got it all wrong?”

“I’ve spoken to them. I’ve made it clear that Starfleet can’t do without you. A whole generation of cadets and officers was lost to the Narada – how can they even think of throwing away the brightest and best?”

“So they going to do a U turn?” asked McCoy.

Pike shook his head. “No. I can’t promise that but I have persuaded them to let you re-enlist. You can repeat your final year and then graduate. I know it’s not ideal but it will get you back into Starfleet.”

“What makes you think he wants to get back into Starfleet?” McCoy stormed. “I certainly don’t!”

“Jim, listen to me – “

Jim slipped his hand from where he had been still clasping Pike’s. “That’s it?” he said quietly.

“Jim, I’m sorry. I truly am. I tried to get them to tell the truth but they say it’s too late for that. Too many questions would be asked and they still hold by their original arguments. That they don’t want the Federation’s enemies and the public at large knowing how close we came to disaster. They’ve agreed to have you back but that’s as far as they are prepared to go.”

Jim took a deep breath and then stood up shakily. “It was really nice to see you recovered, Admiral. And thank you for coming all this way to see me but if you don’t mind, we’re making an early start in the morning.”

“Jim, just think about it. In another year’s time you can be back on track.”

“Think about what? Come back to everyone pointing and laughing? I got enough of that the first time round, Admiral, so thanks but no thanks. You know what, these few months in Flintstone have been good for me. Spending time with decent people. You remember when you recruited me back in Riverside? That pep talk you gave – all that stuff about the Federation and Star Fleet being peace-keeping and humanitarian, a force for good. Well, it’s all crap, Admiral. It’s just corrupt politicos screwing the truth for their own ends, like it’s always been. You know I had to stand up in front of them all, Komack, Barnett, Deacon and try to defend myself. I’m not taking the all the credit for saving Earth – there were a lot of people involved in that – but if Spock had had his way and gone off to rendezvous with the rest of the Fleet in the Laurentian system, what would have happened? You say they were worried about people knowing how close we came. Did anybody tell them what would have happened if we were good little soldiers and followed protocol. No, they fucking well didn’t. ”

Jim was suddenly panting with anger, feelings he had not felt for a long time surging up in him. He felt as if he had been sleeping these past few months.

“Jim, I -.”

The initial happiness and excitement of seeing his old mentor again had given way to anger and disappointment but with a deep breath Jim schooled his face to blankness.

“Goodbye, Admiral Pike.”

“Jim, just let me – “

“Good night Admiral, “ said McCoy firmly as Jim disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Now look here McCoy –“

“No, you look here. I know you are trying your best but it ain’t gonna happen.”

“So, he’s just going to rot here in the middle of nowhere? Stuck in this one horse town fixing tractors and broken down trucks? That’s not the future for George Kirk’s son.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, “ shouted McCoy in disgust. “Just leave George Kirk out of it for once! George Kirk’s been dead for twenty-five years. Maybe if people thought about Jim instead of Saint George, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“I want what’s best for Jim!”

“Good night Admiral. I’m sorry, but I don’t want you here again, getting his hopes up and then letting him drop.”

“I wouldn’t – “

“You already did.”

And with that Pike found himself out on the porch with the door closed in his face.

\--------

 

In the back of his private shuttle, Chris Pike silently fumed and as the shuttle passed over Utah and Nevada his fuming gradually increased until he finally threw his padd at the wall. His pilot turned round in surprise.

“You all right back there, sir?”

“No I’m not, Lieutenant. No, don’t get up. I’m fine. It’s just everything else that’s wrong and it’s time to put things right.”

“Yes sir,” the pilot said bemusedly and was happy to see California and the Pacific coast coming into view.

“You know something, Lieutenant? Thing about truth, it always comes out. It may take some time but it always comes out. People have forgotten that. I nearly forgot it myself.”

“Um, right, sir. Coming up on San Francisco, sir. We’ll be landing in a couple of minutes.”

“Good, because I’ve got some people to see.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pike starts to gather support for Kirk's return.

“Are you okay, Jim?”

Kirk sank back on the couch, breathing hard. He pushed his hands back through his hair.

“You know, Bones, I’m glad I got that off my chest. I don’t know, these past few months I’ve been in a fog of self-pity. I don’t know why. Why didn’t I stand up for myself more when those goddammed admirals raked me over?”

“Firstly, because you were in no fit state at the time. They should have brought you immediately to Starfleet Medical as soon as they got you back to San Francisco and not interrogated you until after you were fully healed. And secondly, I get the feeling that you were probably trying to protect me and the rest of us from any fallout. Because that’s just like you to take a dive under the bus rather than just tell me to get out of the damned way.”

_And thirdly,_ McCoy thought to himself, _I’d give any odds_ _those bastards did something to you before they threw you out on the street. I’m not sure what and I can’t provide any definitive evidence but mentally you were fine after the Narada. Who knows what drugs they gave you to make sure you shut up and disappeared._

“I’m sorry I let rip at Pike. It’s not his fault.”

“Hey, he’s big enough to look after himself. I’m not quite as forgiving as you are, Jimmy. Anyway, that spaghetti’s not going to eat itself and I’m starving. Let’s eat and we can open that good bottle of red we’ve been saving.”

=====

“Admiral Pike has requested an urgent meeting, Sir.”

Admiral Barnett looked up at his aide in surprise.

“I thought Pike was on leave.”

“Sir, he’s waiting outside. I told him you had another couple of meetings this afternoon, but he said I should reschedule.”

Barnett frowned in annoyance. Pike couldn’t just walk in like that – but, Pike was a good man, he wouldn’t barge in if it wasn’t urgent. The Admiral sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. He supposed it was better to see him and get him over with in case whatever problem it was snowballed – like so many seemed to be doing.

“Okay, Dixon. Let him in and reschedule those other meetings if you can. I get a feeling this might take a while.”

The Lieutenant nodded and went back out. A few seconds later, Pike entered in his hoverchair.

Barnett looked surprised. “Chris, you okay? We don’t see you using that chair too often these days.”

“Yeah, I try to get by if I can, but I’ve had a long day and a boring shuttle ride and sometimes – I hate to say it – the chair is just easier. Docs tell me that everyday I’ll be able to stay on my feet just that little bit longer. I suppose I should just be grateful for what I’ve got. And in a way that’s what I’m here about.”

“Your health? Chris, don’t tell me you’re thinking of taking ill health retirement. We need you too much. You know that.”

“No, no. Not my health. Gratitude.”

“Gratitude?” Barnett echoed.

“Gratitude. And integrity. And truth. And self-respect. And a whole lot of other things we seem to have lost sight of recently.”

“Oh.” Barnett sat back in his chair.

“Oh, indeed. You want to know where I’ve been? Flintstone, Wyoming.”

Barnett huffed. “Chris, don’t talk in riddles. You said this was urgent. Get to it.”

“You know who’s in Flintstone, Wyoming? I’ll tell you. James Tiberius Kirk is in a two horse town in Wyoming, under an assumed name, fixing tractors. The finest tactical brain this Academy has probably ever seen wasting away while we are crying out for top quality officers.”

“Chris, I know you’re unhappy about how we railroaded Kirk. I wasn’t too happy myself, but -.”

“But nothing, Richard,” Pike said thumping his fist on the table. “Half the fleet wiped out and not to put too fine a point on it, the better half. Have you looked at the officers coming back thinking they have a shot at the Enterprise chair? I wouldn’t put half of them in charge of a bus.”

“Commander Spock was, I thought, the lead candidate for Enterprise.”

“I think Commander Spock showed all too well during the Narada incident that he is a fine science officer and will probably make a fine First, but he’s not command material. He just hasn’t got the lateral thinking, the creativity…”

“The brain to by-pass the Kobayashi Maru?”

“I know you were pissed at Kirk for that. We all were. But at the end of the day it was just a sim, a sim for fourth year cadets. Would he really have been expelled if that hearing hadn’t been interrupted?”

Barnett took a deep breath. He was basically an honest man. “No, he’d have got a reprimand on his file and probably a commendation for original thinking.”

“Richard, I brought Kirk into the Academy for a reason. He’s had life experience, he’s grown up in the school of hard knocks and it shows when you compare him to the trust fund kids and hot house academics we’ve got now.   From day one his scores have been off the chart in practically every class.”

“I think that was part of the problem. Nobody believed those scores were genuine. They all thought he was cheating,” said Barnett.

“Did you think he was cheating? Really? I mean before the Maru debacle?”

After a long pause, “No. He’s Winona’s son. She probably taught him everything he knows.”

“I want him back, Richard.”

Barnett put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. Of all the problems he had been faced with on his day’s agenda, he had not expected this.

“Chris. Chris, we’ve already agreed he can come back to repeat his final year.”

“He doesn’t want to and I don’t blame him. You’re agreeing to him coming back but you’re not allowing the truth to be told. If he comes back, he’ll be the guy who cheated, the guy who missed the Battle of Vulcan while his classmates were being slaughtered. Not the guy who saved Earth, the guy who fought Nero and won. He should have got all the medals we could throw at him and instead he got shit.”

“Chris, it’s not that easy.”

“Yes, it is. The truth is he came through when we needed him. He pulled together a ship of untried cadets and together they beat Nero, they destroyed the Narada, they saved Earth. That’s not leadership potential, Admiral, that’s leadership. If I can’t have her, that’s who I want in the Enterprise chair.”

Barnett’s mouth dropped. “You’re not serious?”

“He can do it, Richard.”

“He’s a cadet. He didn’t even graduate.”

“Because he wasn’t allowed to. The cadets had sat their final exams before the shit hit the fan. Those exams were marked. Kirk would have been top of his class.”

“But Enterprise?”

“Think about it, Richard. It was a stupid move Komack pulled and we all know it was Komack driving it. George Kirk’s son, Richard. You want PR, what better story could you have had? I know Komack and Deacon were selling the story that the Federation’s enemies would make hay if they knew an untried cadet had saved the day. We should have been telling the Federation’s enemies look at just how good our people are.”

Pike smiled to himself. He could tell that Barnett was weakening. He was a fair man and the lies would not have come easy to him.

“If we don’t have integrity, Richard, what do we have?”

“Komack won’t allow it.”

“Komack is not Star Fleet, Richard. He may think he is but he’s not. We just need to think about who else we can get on board with this. Archer for one, he was always sympathetic to Kirk. And you and he will be able to bring a couple of the others along.”

“But how can we do this? How? Without showing that Command has been lying all along?”

“We need to think about how we can minimise the damage. We need to think about this tactically. It’s a pity we can’t ask Kirk. I’m sure he’d have some ideas. Worse case scenario, we tell the truth like we should have in the first place.”

Barnett groaned. “This is going to be a nightmare.”

“It’s a nightmare of Command’s own making. And the bigger nightmare would be facing another major crisis without someone of Kirk’s calibre in the picture. We might not be so lucky next time.”

\--------

 

“Laura, hey Laura, wait a minute!”

Vice-Admiral Laura Wang turned as her tactics students dispersed from the lecture theatre.

“Chris? What a surprise. I thought you were out in the Mojave or somewhere equally desolate.”

“Yeah, nearly as big a surprise as seeing an Admiral taking classes.”

Wang grinned ruefully. “And I’m not the only one. You never saw such a high ranking faculty list. We didn’t realise how many good teachers we lost at Vulcan. It’s going to take a while to rebuild the Academy staff.”

“I need to talk to you, Laura.”

“We can go get a coffee and –“

“No, I need to talk to you in private. It’s important.”

Wang frowned and then reopened the lecture room door. “Come inside. There’s nothing scheduled for another hour.”

They went down to the front of the room and Wang took a seat beside Pike’s chair.

“Okay, what’s up?”

“I’ll come straight to the point. I want to bring Kirk back.”

“Back to the Academy? Hey that would be great,” Wang grinned enthusiastically.

“No. I don’t want him to repeat a year he’s already sat and passed. I want him for Enterprise. In the chair.”

Wang’s jaw dropped. “Say again?”

“I want Jim Kirk back and as Captain of Enterprise. I’ve already spoken to Barnett and there a few other people I want to talk to, but … well, what do you think?”

“He’s just a kid, Chris.”

“People keep saying that. He’s twenty six years old, he would have graduated top of his class, he led Enterprise and pulled a group of untested cadets into a fighting force to defeat Nero. If he hadn’t been there, if Spock had taken Enterprise back to join the rest of the fleet, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because Earth would be gone. And what did Star Fleet do? They threw him out, just because Komack’s got a grudge.“

Wang took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, pushing her hands through her hair. “God, Chris, you’re asking for a big turn around. “

“We need him, Laura. We need him more than he needs us. And he’s the only one I want in the Enterprise chair if I can’t be there myself. Now, I know he’ll need bringing up to speed but we can do that.”

She smiled and waved her padd at Chris. “He won’t need bringing up to speed. You want to know what I’ve been teaching from? Kirk’s dissertation on the Axanar war and peace negotiations. He’s more concise, accessible and accurate in his analysis than any of the recognised texts and more original in his suggestions for how things could have been handled better. Er, don’t tell anybody that. And I’m not the only one.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know Archer’s been waxing lyrical about some new material being published in the engineering and astrophysics fields. Published by a mysterious J. T Davis. “

“Winona’s maiden name,” Pike said with a smile.

“Yeah, and anybody who taught Kirk would recognise the writing style – like I said, devastatingly accurate with just a touch of “Of course I know what I’m talking about, you morons”. You’ll have my vote on the Board, Chris. I’ve had a nasty taste in my mouth all year and I want to get rid of it. I should have spoken louder at the time. I’ll speak up now and I’ll talk to some of the others. Like I say, you’ll have no trouble getting Archer onside.”

“Deacon’s in Komack’s pocket.”

“Deacon’s PR for fuck’s sake. Why should he have any say? Anyway, he’ll soon see which way the wind is blowing.” She laughed. “Boy, are they going to regret promoting you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Federation President hears the truth about the Narada - and is not pleased.

The Federation President could certainly put on a glittering reception: she only wished her guests were the type to appreciate it. The champagne, the flowers, the elegant setting all bypassed the Vulcan contingent, who, she knew, would probably have been just as comfortable, if not more so, in a plain Academy dining hall.

Still, almost a year after the Narada incident, a new world had finally been identified as a new homeworld for Vulcan survivors. A small planetoid in the Zenoan system with atmospheric conditions very similar to Vulcan and with no intelligent life forms. The other planets in the system – all Federation members – had agreed to the proposal: the planet’s atmosphere was not conducive with their own life forms and various trade agreements had been agreed in gratitude and recognition of their willingness to transfer rights to the Vulcan High Council. The President’s reception was to celebrate the final signing of all necessary treaties and undertakings with members of the Zenoan Assembly which would allow settlement works to commence on “New Vulcan”.

A very happy occasion, although Madam President was finding the company a little hard going. It was difficult to celebrate such a happy occasion with a people who did not show emotion and who did not drink alcohol.

Still, at least two members of the Vulcan delegation at her table were a little less….stiff. Ambassador Sarek, of course, had spent many years on Earth and had much experience of interacting with more emotional races. He had even been married to a human, although his wife Amanda had been tragically lost in the destruction of Vulcan. There was also Ambassador Selek.   His introduction to the President had been a little vague so she was not entirely sure of the details of his ambassadorial status. As a geneticist before her entry into politics, she had a feeling that Selek might not be pure Vulcan. He certainly seemed a lot more relaxed than even Sarek and compared to the other members of the Vulcan delegation he was positively chatty.   A great relief in a social situation.

“So, Ambassador Selek, will you be travelling with the main transports when they leave for New Vulcan?”

“Yes, Madam President. Of course, there is a considerable amount of work involved in the logistics of such a move: the identification of an appropriate location on New Vulcan for the establishment of our first settlement, the design of initial infrastructure, identification of crops suitable for the climate and soil conditions. We fully appreciate the generosity of the Federation and the Fleet in the provision of its support, but it will take many years before we will see even the equivalent of a small town in place.”

“Yes, of course, so many of us assume that it is just a question of setting up some dwellings and doing some basic terraforming, but – as you say – it will be years.”

“We were fortunate indeed that Enterprise was able to save members of our High Council and at least some of our heritage - ancient records and artefacts - before the destruction. We will be forever grateful to her officers and crew.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“I have met with Admiral Pike and some of the officers to convey our thanks. It is my hope that I will also be able to meet with Mr Kirk before we leave so I can also convey my gratitude to him.”

The President frowned, her thick brows a sign of her Altairian heritage.

“Mr Kirk, Ambassador? I’m sorry, I do not recall the name.”

Ambassador Selek looked surprised. “You do not know the name of James T. Kirk, Madam President? The young man who took command of Enterprise during the battle of Vulcan, saved the life of Admiral Pike and destroyed the Narada, certainly, thereby, saving Earth from the same fate as Vulcan? I do not understand. Surely his name should be a household word, as I believe the phrase is.”

Further down the table, Ambassador Sarek raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

The President did not enjoy being at such a loss, but, she was after all an experienced and successful politican: she fudged it.

“Yes, of course, well I certainly hope that you get the opportunity to meet. Now turning back to the issues of New Vulcan, there are a number of meetings being set up with the private sector….”

The conversation turned back to the logistics of establishing a new settlement.

After the dinner when the dignitaries and guests moved to another room for coffee and conversation, the President grabbed her aide by the arm.

“Arrange a meeting first thing tomorrow with the senior admirals – Komack, Archer, Barnett. No excuses, I want them there in my office at 8.00 am sharp.”

The startled aide nodded and excused herself for an urgent conversation with the Admirals’ staff.

\--------

Admiral Deacon, when he heard of the proposed meeting, invited himself along. The President, no doubt, wanted to discuss the New Vulcan situation following the reception the previous evening and if any press conferences were required, Deacon wanted to make sure he was involved. The President’s Office was well known for putting its own spin on things and would likely try to take all the credit for finding the new planet, negotiating with the Zenoan Assembly and probably even packing the Vulcan’s cases for them. It was his responsibility to ensure that Star Fleet’s role was not overlooked, but rather put to the fore.

Deacon, therefore, made sure he was early and was, in fact, already waiting in the outer office when the President arrived at 7.30 am. The President’s aide had advised him of the correct time of the meeting and that he wasn’t actually on the attendee list, but he was an Admiral and the aide was only… a political aide, probably only one step up from a secretary he assumed.

President Zaiad looked surprised to see him but then her gaze hardened.

“Deacon, right?”

He stood hastily. “Admiral Edgar Deacon, at your service Madam President.”

“You’re in charge of Starfleet PR, right?”

“Public relations, communications, media. All very important, particularly since the Vulcan incident. The Fleet urgently needs to boost recruitment, as you know, to cover the losses incurred and -.”

“Good, good. Come into my office. You can brief me before the others arrive.”

Deacon frowned as he stood to follow. He was needed to brief the Federation President? On what exactly? Maybe being early wasn’t such a good idea.

“Er, perhaps we should wait for the senior Admirals, Madam President?”

“No need, “ she brushed past him into her office. “You’ll know what’s going on. Take a seat.”

She pulled a padd in front of her and held a stylus poised above it. It was a pose he recognised from hundreds of holopics.

“Now at the reception last night, I was speaking to one of the Vulcan Ambassadors – Selek, I think his name was – and he was telling me how he hoped to meet a certain James Kirk before he left for New Vulcan so he could thank him for his work in saving the Vulcan High Council, saving Earth and defeating Nero. Now, I was a little confused as I had not heard of this Mr Kirk’s involvement. I was even more confused when my staff checked the webs and found out that this James Kirk had been expelled in disgrace from the Academy before the Fleet even went out to Vulcan. Care to explain?”

Deacon sat there like a rabbit in the headlights. He had certainly not expected this.

“Um, Madam President, I can explain….I can… no, actually, maybe - I really think perhaps Admiral Komack or Admiral Barnett would be better…”

“Stop gibbering, man. They’re not here. You are. You are here at this meeting even though you were not asked to attend. So you must be keen to speak with me.”

“I thought, um, I thought this was about the Vulcan situation, Ma’am.” He ran a finger round his collar, feeling the sweat on the back of his neck.

“It is about the Vulcan situation, Admiral Deacon. Now, I think it very unlikely that Ambassador Selek is mistaken in what he said. Vulcans so rarely are, you know. Now I could have checked with Ambassador Sarek, who was also present at the Reception last night or the Lady T’Pau – both of whom were actually on Vulcan and rescued by the Enterprise so they should know what they’re talking about. But I didn’t like to and do you know why, Admiral Deacon? It was because I didn’t like to look a fool. I still don’t like looking a fool so you will tell me what’s going on and you will tell me now. Who is this James Kirk?”

Deacon looked at the furious woman behind the desk. Oh God, why had he barged in? Why did he have to come in early? He thought furiously. It was all going to come out for sure. She already knew something was up, it wouldn’t take much to find out the truth because who was going to lie to the Federation President. Not when she was glaring at you three feet across a desk.

But, take a deep breath. He was the master of spin. Maybe he could spin this to at least protect himself, say his part before the others turned up because otherwise they would surely put the blame on him. That was the way of the world – the strong pick a scapegoat. Well, he wasn’t going to be Komack’s scapegoat.

“Kirk was a cadet at the Academy. He was called up on charges for cheating in an important final year simulation. He was just being called to defend his actions when the call came in from Vulcan and the hearing was suspended because all ships had to scramble. He should have been left behind because he was on academic suspension but somehow he got onto Enterprise. As I understand it, he was able to warn Admiral, I mean then Captain Pike that it wasn’t a natural disaster, but an attack and Pike ordered shields raised so Enterprise wasn’t immediately destroyed like the other ships. Pike had always liked Kirk, he was his protégé. When Pike took a shuttle over to the Narada as Nero had ordered, he sent Kirk and two others to destroy the drill that was laying the charge, the bomb, I mean, the red matter. They destroyed the drill and got back to the ship but they were too late. The red matter was detonated and Vulcan was destroyed. Commander Spock had been able to save a few of the Vulcan High Council before it blew. I guess that is what the Ambassador was talking about.”

He took a deep breath, now hoping Komack and the others would not arrive until he had had time to tell his side of the story.

“Kirk argued that Enterprise should get Pike back and engage the Narada. Commander Spock argued they should withdraw to the Laurentian system to join the rest of the fleet. Well, some things happened, and – to cut a long story short - Spock declared himself unfit for duty and Pike had made Kirk First Officer so Kirk took command. He and the bridge crew including Spock then devised a plan whereby he and Spock would beam onto the Narada. Kirk would rescue Admiral Pike and Spock would find the red matter and try to use it to destroy the Narada. And they were successful. “

Madam President sitting with her mouth open was _not_ a picture many would recognise.

“I thought it was a wonderful story, some good news to counter the shock of the destruction of Vulcan and how close Earth had come to a similar fate. You may not know but James Kirk is the son of George Kirk of the Kelvin, destroyed by Nero twenty five years ago. You couldn’t make it up. And how all the young cadets had become heroes. But I wasn’t allowed to tell that story.”

Madam President gathered herself. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Admiral Komack felt that if it became common knowledge that a few junior cadets led by a stowaway had defeated Nero, it would give the wrong impression not only to the general public, but also to the Federation’s enemies. So Kirk was taken off the Enterprise and expelled from the Academy and Pike and Spock were pushed to the forefront. “

“And everybody just went along with this? Including the Vulcans? I can’t believe this. How do you keep something like this quiet? Why the hell was I not informed?”

The President’s snarl was interrupted by a buzzer on her desk.

“Madam President, Admirals Komack, Barnett and Archer are here for the meeting.”

“Send them in.”

“Shall I bring in some coffee, Ma’am?”

“No, we will not be needing refreshments. No more interruptions and cancel anything else I have this morning. We’re going to tied up here for some time.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Federation President seeks the help of retired Admiral Nogura.

The Federation President was fuming.

She thumped on the comms button on her desk. “Get me Heihachiro Nogura. Urgently.”

“Um, you mean retired Admiral Nogura?” queried the aide nervously. Something was evidently going on. First there was the order to call this urgent morning meeting with the Admirals, which had meant having to shift two very important other meetings the President had in her diary; then there was Admiral Deacon showing up unexpectedly; then when the others had arrived, the atmosphere had seemed very tense. When they had left some hours later, the atmosphere had been worse than tense, it had been toxic. “I’m not exactly sure where he is living now, Ma’am but –“

“I don’t care,” she snapped. “Just get him. Not just on the comm. I want to see him now!”

\-------

Just having the elderly Nogura in her office had a calming effect on the President. He did not look like the former Chief of Staff, Starfleet. He looked like a kindly retired gardener. The façade had fooled many people in the past, including hostiles, who had come to learn that the twinkling eyes and wrinkled face hid a mind like a steel trap.

“Beatrix, Beatrix, please calm down. Let us have some coffee and some pastry and then you can tell me why you have dragged me away from Kyoto without a chance to catch my breath.”

While Nogura sipped his coffee, the President succinctly summarised the truth regarding the destruction of Vulcan and the defeat of Nero, as far as she had been informed earlier that day.

“It’s those damn Admirals, Heihachiro, Komack especially. There’s been so much spin to meet their own ends that the truth has disappeared and this James Kirk, whoever he is, has paid the price for their machinations. And they’ve have totally disregarded my position as Commander-in-Chief. I should have been told the truth from the beginning. Any decisions should have been mine.”

“Ah, James Kirk,” smiled Nogura.

“You know this person?”

“The second son of George and Winona Kirk.”

“Yes, I’m told his father died on the _Kelvin._ ”

“The very one. I hear young James has been blazing quite the trail through the Academy.”

“But then why remove him from the picture? He would seem to be the ideal poster-boy for Starfleet after the whole Vulcan debacle.”

“Ah well, Komack never liked the Kirks. I’ve never really known why. Gossip is that he made a move on Winona after George’s death and she broke his nose – but, of course, I never listen to gossip. And I understand that young James’s entry into the Academy was somewhat unorthodox: Captain Pike brought him in on the basis of some really exceptional aptitude scores, but there were some minor infringements of the law on the boy’s record and his approach to the Kobayashi Maru test has been a little controversial.”

“Yes, Komack kept going on about that damn test as if it was something really important. He said the boy had cheated.”

“I’ve looked over Kirk’s record. He had taken the Maru on two previous occasions and his scores were among the highest ever recorded. There was no need for him to take it again, but he apparently disapproved of the basic concept of the test.”

“Enlighten me.”

“The purpose of the test is to explore how a command candidate responds to a no-win scenario, the destruction of his or her vessel in fact. The test involves responding to a distress call from a merchant ship, the Kobayashi Maru, which has drifted into Klingon territory. In the test, the Klingons are always aggressive. There is no diplomatic solution, only battle and no matter how many Klingon vessels are destroyed, more keep coming. The simulation is programmed so that the candidate can never win. Mr Kirk, having already faced destruction on two previous occasions, hacked the simulator to allow himself a win. The Academy called him before a board on a charge of cheating and the rest is history.”

“What are your views on this test?”

“I have not seen the the latest version, programmed by Commander Spock, but I am aware of previous similar tests. I can understand some of the thinking behind it – facing unbeatable odds may be a reality our cadets will have to face. But I also can see the value of Mr Kirk’s argument with the test: that while there may indeed be a no-win scenario, that does not mean that one should simply roll over and accept one’s fate, but try everything – however dishonest – to win. I believe if Mr Kirk had been allowed to continue his defence before the Board, he would have asked what the passengers and crew of the Kobayashi Maru would have preferred: a commander who tried every trick in the book to save them, or an officer who let them perish rather than besmirch the honour of Starfleet. “

The President frowned. “You seem to know a lot about what’s going on for a old man who spends his time in the garden.”

“Ah Beatrix, there are many keeping with me in touch with what is going on. Jonathan Archer for one. He is very angry at Komack’s attempts to strong arm the other members of the Board, not to mention his involvement with Section 31.”

“There is no such thing as Section 31!”

“Of course, Beatrix. But just because we say something does not make it so. Richard Barnett is also unhappy, I believe. There is a momentum growing against Komack and in favour of revealing the truth about the Vulcan incident and reinstating James Kirk. I imagine the Vulcans themselves were not happy about the situation.”

“And yet for all that – all that ‘Vulcans cannot lie’ stuff – they did. They have done for almost a year.”

“Ah well, I think we may say they did not lie, but rather simply removed themselves from the debate. Remember, their status as one of the leading members of the Federation was wiped out in an instant by Nero. The few remaining Vulcans were in a very sensitive position, relying on the Federation to find them a new home. Perhaps they did not wish to rock the boat until negotiations had been completed, but now that they are, well perhaps they too are feeling a little guilty about Mr Kirk.

“You seem to know a great deal about Kirk, Heihachiro, seeing as you had left the Admiralty before he joined the Academy.”

Nogura smiled. “I was very fond of George and Winona and I have a great regard for the judgement of Christopher Pike. He sees greatness in this young man. In fact, he wishes to nominate him for command of the Enterprise.”

“What? You cannot be serious!” The President’s cup crashed against its saucer.

“I am perfectly serious and I am of the mind that it might be a wise direction to travel. I know he is young, I know he was only a cadet, but he would have graduated with honours. Garrovick spoke very warmly of him when he was alive – Kirk served two semesters on Farragut you know.   His actions on Enterprise were bold and imaginative, he led his crew well and we must judge by results: he saved Earth, Beatrix. We would not be here if not for James Kirk.”

“But – Captain of the flagship?”

“How many of our finest officers and future officers did we lose, Beatrix? Starfleet has been decimated and those who are left…. Well, Christoper Pike has been very uncomplimentary.”

“And you have, of course, been speaking to Pike as well?”

“If Christoper were in health, there would be no problem. He would take the chair of Enterprise and he would want Kirk with him as First Officer with Spock as Science Officer. But he is not likely to recover in the short term.   And while I despise the activities of PR people such as Deacon, there is no denying that Kirk would attract many young people to join the service. We need our recruitment up and we need it up now.”

“Komack will never agree,” said the President, tapping her stylus on the desk.

“But as you have said, _Madam President_ , you are Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet by virtue of your office. Perhaps James Komack needs to be reminded of that.”

“A fight with Komack is not perhaps the most productive way forward.”

“Perhaps if the Admiral were to be given another role. I believe the post of Head of Starbase Operations will shortly be vacant and it has the advantage of being based on Starbase One – which is quite a long way away.”

“Shapiro is stepping down? I had not heard,” she frowned.

“Well, she has been talking for some time of retirement and a little push would open the post. A little soft soap to ease Komack in the right direction – emphasis on the precarious position our starbases have been placed in as a result of the Narada incident, the danger they face from many hostile fronts in the face of the decimation of the fleet. And if soft soap does not work, then we push.”

“And that will leave a senior vacancy in Starfleet Command, Heihacheiro. In face of the uncertain situation we face, I don’t suppose you could be persuaded to come out of retirement, even temporarily?”

“I thought you would never ask, Madam President. One does get rather tired of hoeing and weeding.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to San Francisco

Taking a break in the doctors’ lounge at Cheyenne Memorial, McCoy took the opportunity to flick through his messages, cup of coffee in hand. One from Jim saying he might be late home so could McCoy pick up some takeout; one from Nyota Uhura suggesting they all get together sometime to meet for a drink (hmm, he’d have to think about that); a reminder that a book he’d been waiting for was available for download; several advertising spams which had somehow got through his filter; and one from Admiral Christopher Pike, Starfleet Command.

Jeez, could the man not just leave them alone?

McCoy took a deep breath, wondering whether to just delete it. On the other hand, he didn’t want to be sideswiped by Pike unexpectedly turning up again at the house so maybe better to see what he wanted. He opened the message.

‘ _Doctor McCoy. Tomorrow, Jim will be receiving a message from Admiral Nogura to attend a meeting in San Francisco. This is important. They are finally going to acknowledge the truth and Jim’s role in the Narada incident. Make sure he attends. Make sure you both attend. I cannot stress too highly how important this is – for both of you. Things are going to be all right. Pike_.’

‘Holy shit.’

Suddenly he could hardly breathe.

‘Are you okay there, Doc?’ His colleague, Ben Hughes, also taking a break, looked over curiously, pushing his glasses up over his forehead.

‘I don’t know. I truly don’t know,’ McCoy said, shaking his head. He didn’t know what to think.

‘Is it bad news? You don’t look too good. Let me get you some water.’ Hughes brought over a paper cup and knelt in front of McCoy. ‘Is it family?’

McCoy shook his head. ‘No, no. I suppose in a way it’s good news, but I sure wasn’t expecting it.’

He looked at Hughes’ round expectant face. ‘Sorry, I can’t say anything about it at the moment. It’s probably confidential.’

‘That’s okay, man. Look, do you want to take some time out? I can get Carla to reschedule or Mary and I can cover. There’s nothing too urgent or complex on the board for today. We can cover it if you need to go home. If anything major turns up, we can call you.’

McCoy looked at Hughes. He hadn’t known him long or Mary Callaghan, his other surgeon, but they were good people. They tolerated him even at his most grumpy – perhaps it was a more laid back approach generally in Wyoming.

He looked down at his padd again. What to do? It said Jim wasn’t going to be contacted until tomorrow. Maybe it would be better to finish the shift and arrange to take the next few days off if a trip to San Francisco was in the offing. Yeah, that would probably be the best.

‘Thanks Ben. I’ll finish here today but it looks like I might need a few days off. Can we all get together at the end of shift and go over the week’s schedule?’

‘Sure thing, Doc. Like I said, don’t worry. Mary and I can cover most things and we can always get in touch if we have a problem, can’t we?’

‘Yeah, I’ll still be contactable but it looks like I’ll need to go out of state. I’ll clear it with the CEO. Thanks. It makes it easier knowing I have a team I can depend on.’

Hughes grinned as he crushed his paper cup and threw it neatly into the recycler. ‘Hey, it’ll give me and Mary the chance to talk about you behind your back. We’re both after your job, you know. Hope your ears don’t start burning.’

McCoy grinned automatically and stood to return to the ward. It was just as well there was no complex surgery scheduled for the day, only ward rounds and check ups, because his head was spinning. He didn’t know whether to be happy or angry. If Pike was right and the truth was going to come out, what would that mean for Jim? Would they let him back? Would they let him graduate without repeating a year at the Academy? Or maybe they would just end up playing them again and there would be nothing but more disappointment for Jim.

And what would it mean for him? Would they want him back in the Fleet? Did he want to go back into the Fleet?

 

\--------

It was the hardest thing for McCoy not to say anything to Jim when they both got home later that night. They ate the take-out he had brought home with him, as requested, and watched some football.   In the end, McCoy couldn’t stick trying to act normally and had an early night, claiming a tiredness he did not feel, and then spent the night staring at the ceiling.

Once again he vacillated between hope for Jim and anger. Being Leonard McCoy, anger was getting the upper hand: anger at what Starfleet had done to Jim, at what it had done to himself and the other crew of the Enterprise, essentially threatening to separate them from their families if they did not stick to the official Starfleet story. A hundred different scenarios went through his mind as he tossed and grappled with the bed clothes, most of which ended with him yelling some home truths at faceless upper echelons.

He did not have to wait long the next morning. As usual, he and Jim sat at the breakfast table with coffee and toast, their padds open beside them, reading their mail and checking news headlines.

He could feel the immediate change in the atmosphere as Jim put down his coffee mug and lifted his padd from the table as if bringing it closer would correct what he must have misread originally. But he hadn’t misread. He must have made a sound because McCoy looked up and innocently asked if something was the matter.

‘It’s a message. From Nogura.’

‘Somebody wanting their car fixed?’ (God, Jim must really be confused if he didn’t pick up how phoney that sounded.)

‘Admiral Nogura. Starfleet. I mean, he’s an ex-Admiral. Retired years ago, well before we joined the Academy.’

‘What does he want?’

‘He wants me to meet him, in San Francisco.’

‘What for?’

‘He doesn’t say. He wants me to ring his office to confirm and there’s a transport code to cover travel and accommodation.’

McCoy looked at his friend, who was still staring at the padd in a daze.

He took a deep breath. ‘I think you should go.’

‘What?’ Jim finally looked up.

‘I think you should go. See what the man has to say.’

‘It’ll be Pike all over again,’ Jim said sadly. ‘I’m not going back to the Academy, Bones, to repeat a year as if all this never happened.’

‘It might not be that. Maybe they’ve come to their senses and are going to finally tell the truth. I mean, this guy, Nogura, he was a good guy, wasn’t he? Not like Komack?’

Jim nodded, considering. ‘Well, we studied a lot of his stuff in history and tactics. The guy must be ancient. But he seemed like a good officer. I mean, he was tough but honorable, not just all gung-ho. He was always concerned with doing the right thing, rather than the convenient thing – he negotiated the treaties with the Paruk and ensured equal rights for the indigenous people.’

McCoy recalled that episode himself from his own classes – the Paruk had been long established settlers on ‘their’ world but that settlement (or invasion, as some might call it) had resulted in a long and unpleasant history with the native people, who had suffered much as the Native Americans had with the arrival of Europeans in their own country.

‘Well, there you go. If he’s a good guy and he’s back in Starfleet, then I think you should go see him, at least hear what he has to say. If you don’t like it, well, there’s nothing lost but if he is a good guy, there might be something to gain.’

Jim sat for a while, his head in his hands. Then he looked up. ‘Will you come with me? The transport code covers two people.’

_What a surprise._

‘Sure. Let me ring the hospital first, but there should be no problem. It’s been a quiet week. We can make a trip of it. But, Jim,’ McCoy took a deep breath, ‘I don’t think you should be getting your hopes up. I mean, at the end of the day, what is Starfleet Command gonna do? Go public and say ‘Hey everybody, we actually lied about everything a year ago’. What’s that gonna do for their public image and recruitment drive?’

‘I won’t get my hopes up, but yeah, it would be nice to meet Heihachiro Nogura. And hey, if the worst comes to the worst, I can always just use it as an opportunity to tell them what I think of Starfleet.’

\------  

A day later they were in Cheyenne, Flintstone being short of transporter ports, at least any that McCoy would trust. Even in the city, McCoy insisted on using a port in the main shuttle hub, rather than one of the street booths. _‘You never know who’s been messing with them – at least the hub has decent security.’_

Even so, as he stood in the booth he had more misgivings - were they all this small? - and as he scanned the barcode from his padd screen into the transporter interface, he had his eyes closed and could feel his heart pumping. He hated the transporter – but then he hated shuttles as well so it was six of one and half a dozen of the other. At least the transporter was quick because just a few seconds later he heard the chime announcing his safe arrival and was able to open his eyes and exit into the streets of San Francisco. A few seconds later Jim beamed in and joined him. It had been sunny in Cheyenne; here it was damp and misty. He felt a pang as he remembered the smell from his Academy days, the buzz of the traffic, the number of uniforms on the street. He glanced across at Jim, wondering if this could prove awkward just walking through the city. Jim’s face had been plastered over the nets a year ago. He hoped there would be no unpleasant encounters.

‘I guess that’s the hotel over there,’ Jim said pointing across the street. ‘We’re not that far from the Command Headquarters and the Academy. Let’s go leave our bags in and then –’

‘Get a drink,’ said McCoy.

Jim grinned. ‘Bones, it’s not even nine thirty in the morning. I think that’s a bit early even for you.’

McCoy straightened and looked at him haughtily. ‘I meant a coffee – which is still a drink. Then we can walk down to the Wharf, act like tourists, have some lunch and then go meet Nogura.’

‘And then we probably _will_ need a drink.’

Starfleet’s arrangements proved efficient: adjacent hotel rooms were awaiting them, yes they could leave any luggage, no problem about early check in, everything already taken care of (including mini-bar and room service tabs). Maybe they really did want Jim back.

\-------

Later that afternoon, they got a cab to Command Headquarters. McCoy glanced down at his pressed jeans, shirt and sports jacket. He felt that maybe he should have worn a suit, as he did to hospital meetings with the upper echelons, but Jim was in the same jeans and tee shirt with the same old leather jacket he always wore. As far as he knew, Jim didn’t own a suit and he just wore overalls for working in the garage.

He looked up to catch Jim looking at him.

‘If they want to look at clothes, they can go browse Brooks Brothers,’ Jim said, reading his mind. ‘Anyway, this is how I came into the Academy the first time round.’

‘Well, minus the blood. And the black eye. And the busted lip. They’ll not recognise you.’

Jim smiled again, but it was a tight smile.

‘Okay about this?’

Jim took a deep breath and looked out the cab window. They were nearly there. ‘Not really. Tell you the truth, I’m a bit scared.’

McCoy reached over and gripped his hand. ‘Jim Kirk doesn’t do scared. Now, me, I may throw up on you.’

Jim covered McCoy’s fingers with his own. ‘Oh, I think these cabs are pretty safe.’

They both smiled at the old byplay and then they were there, outside the imposing gateway to Starfleet Headquarters.

The cabbie looked back at them. ‘This is as far as I can go – security restrictions.’

They nodded and Jim swished his card over the credit reader. ‘Thanks.’

They got a double take from the guard who signed them in and walked them through the security scan. He evidently recognised the names but they were down on his list for the meeting with Admiral Nogura so what was he going to say?

An aide was waiting to them them to the fifth floor where Nogura was waiting for them. They both took a deep breath as they entered the room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting with Nogura

Retired – now reinstated - Admiral Nogura had decided not to hold the meeting in his office. Sitting behind a desk across from the other parties would seem too confrontational. So he had chosen one of the smaller conference rooms, calm and elegant with large picture windows looking out across the Bay and with coffee pots and plates of pastries on the table.

His aide ushered Kirk and McCoy into the room. Nogura eyed them curiously.

Both dressed in casual civilian clothes, Kirk was tall and thin, messy blond hair and bright blue eyes. People had spoken of his resemblance to his father, but it was Winona Kirk that Nogura could see in the keen intelligence in the eyes and the slender capable hands. His expression was calm, poker-faced – this man was not going to beg to be taken back.

The other man – Leonard McCoy – was tall, broader and a little older than Kirk, his brow was furrowed and Nogura could recognise a volcano close to blowing. Pike had spoken not just of his medical skill (Pike’s own survival a reminder of that) but also his friendship with Kirk. His anger was probably more on Kirk’s behalf than his own and his role here today as a protector, whether Kirk needed it or not.

‘Gentlemen, welcome. Please sit down and help yourself to coffee.’

They sat down in silence and did not avail of the refreshments.

Nogura nodded. No messing about with pretend niceties, just let’s get on with it.

‘Gentlemen, I would like first to thank you both for coming here today. I would also ask you to let me speak, without interruption. I have a lot to say and I feel it is better if I get that out of the way first.’ He looked at each in turn – the blank face and the angry face. They were evidently agreeable to letting him speak.

‘Very well. As you may know, I had been retired from Star Fleet for some time and my knowledge of the destruction of Vulcan and the Narada incident was quite limited.’ Nogura ignored a disbelieving grunt from McCoy. ‘Perhaps a little more than the general public had access to – I did after all have many friends and colleagues who kept in touch, but not any great detail. Perhaps that was for a reason as certain people would have realised that I would certainly not have approved of the steps taken to rewrite history, so to speak.

‘Those steps taken by Star Fleet Command were not only detrimental to you, Mr Kirk, and to others who served on Enterprise during the Narada incident, but detrimental to Starfleet itself. I was surprised that this was not more clearly recognised at the time. The destruction of seven starships by Nero decimated the fleet, not only in terms of hardware, but more importantly personnel and the actions taken by Command served only to sour and demoralise the young people who had served so bravely on Enterprise. The Admirals – I will not name names – lost a golden opportunity to celebrate our young people, their courage, ingenuity and dedication, which I have no doubt would have had a major effect on recruitment. Instead, you Mr Kirk were wrongly expelled from the Academy, using the excuse of the Kobyashi Maru test – congratulations on that, by the way, an extremely elegant piece of hacking – and you, Doctor McCoy, along with other members of the crew, were threatened in a very crude fashion in order to ensure your silence.

“I would also like to express my personal thanks for your actions. I have children and grandchildren in Kyoto and - while others seem to have forgotten - I have not: your actions saved their lives, my life and those of the billions of others living on this planet. The destruction of Vulcan was – is still - almost beyond comprehension. Perhaps that is why is so difficult to picture the same happening to Earth, but we must recognise that it very nearly happened, indeed would have happened if not for your actions.

McCoy could keep quiet no longer. ‘That’s all well and good, but what are you going to do about it? I can’t believe that Starfleet is now going to turn round and say sorry we lied through our teeth a year ago.’

Nogura smiled. ‘That’s exactly what we _are_ going to do, Doctor. Believe it or not, you have many influential friends, gentlemen, including the Federation President herself, who was shocked and horrified to learn of the truth. Members of the Vulcan Council – now that a decision on their new home world has been ratified – have also turned their attention to righting the wrong done to you. I must also stress that some members of the Admiralty were not happy also.’

‘Not so unhappy that they didn’t step forward at the time,’ McCoy growled.

‘No, Doctor, but Starfleet Command is like any other large organisation with its politics, feuds and cliques. We may wish it was not so, but there we are. Some people were not happy when Admiral Komack moved to Head of Starbase Operations and I came out of retirement; they too did not see how their lies could be overthrown. Indeed, a great many other lies have been suggested to try to counter the original lie. But you have a quote: ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive’. Is it Shakespeare? Most things usually are.’

‘Walter Scott, _Marmion,_ ’ Jim said quietly, then looked away embarrassed at having corrected Nogura.

‘Ah, really? Thank you. Every piece of knowledge is of value. But as I was saying, the more some senior officers wished to save themselves, the more elaborate and unwieldy the tale became. Sometimes, the simplest and best way is to tell the truth, apologise and move on. So that is what we are going to do. Your role in the battle of Vulcan and the destruction of the Narada is going to be formally recognised, Mr Kirk, and you are to be awarded the Medal of Honour.’

‘And then what?’ McCoy demanded.

‘Then I hope that you and Mr Kirk will rejoin Starfleet. We need people of your calibre, more now than ever.’

‘Admiral Pike has already told me that I would be allowed to go back to the Academy to repeat my final year,’ said Kirk. ‘I have already refused that offer.’

‘Oh, dear me, no. We don’t want you back at the Academy. No, we want you in command of the Enterprise.’

There was a silence. Nogura was amused to see two jaws dropping.

Eventually, ‘If this is some kind of joke, it’s kinda mean,’ Jim said.

‘It’s no joke,’ Nogura said gravely. ‘We need you, Mr Kirk.’

‘As a PR figure? A poster boy for your recruitment drive? Gotta tell you that’s not going to work. You may not have noticed, but my name’s mud now.’

‘I do not deny that you would be extremely valuable in recruitment. We desperately need more young people signing up and I think you could help with that. I also think the general public has an extremely short attention span and public opinion will not be difficult to guide back into your favour once the truth is known. But that’s not the reason we want you in the Enterprise chair. Let me explain. If Christopher Pike was likely to return to full health, the chair would be his and I imagine he would be asking for you as his First. However, unfortunately at the present time Christopher’s health is still not one hundred percent, nor is it likely to be so.’

‘He was walking. He came to visit us in Wyoming.’

‘He can walk for short periods of time and it takes a great deal out of him. The physical and mental stress of returning to command, particularly if there was any possibility of going into any future battle situation, well, his doctors have told him that it is out of the question and he has accepted that. And we must accept that following the destruction of Vulcan and the decimation of the fleet, our enemies may feel they can test our borders or attack our shipping lanes. Komack was correct in that, if in little else. While Starfleet’s primary mission must remain exploration, we will – for a time at least – need to be soldiers. So we need someone in that chair capable of both.’

‘And you think that’s me?’ Kirk said with a disbelieving smile.

‘Pike certainly think that’s you and I put a great deal of weight behind his opinion. Captain Garrovick also spoke very highly of you and – had the Farragut not been lost at Vulcan – I believe he would competing with Pike to get you assigned to his vessel. But it was your approach to the Kobayashi Maru that proved that you have what Starfleet needs. Like many others before you, you took the test and performed extremely well. Everyone else accepted their failure and moved on. You did not. You took the test a second time and did better. Then you did what no other candidate has done before: you took your thinking outside the box and questioned the ethical validity of the test and did not like what you saw. While there may indeed be no-win scenarios, you decided that you were not going to roll over and accept defeat. If you could not defeat the Klingons in the test, you were going to defeat the test’s designers and what you saw as the flawed thinking behind it. Admiral Barnett, by the way, has recommended a commendation for original thinking. If your hearing had proceeded in the normal course of events, that would have been the outcome, together with some mild disciplinary action. ‘

‘So my hacking the Maru is why you want to give me the Enterprise chair?’

‘Let me say rather that one reason we do not want to give the chair to anyone who may think they should be in the running is that they did _not_ question the Maru test. If Commander Spock had remained in command of Enterprise after the destruction of Vulcan, he would have left the field to join with the remainder of the fleet in the Laurentian system – and Earth would have been destroyed. Considering the records and psychological profiles of other senior officers – those who might be considered as being contenders for the Enterprise chair – we find most, if not all, would have also taken the safe option, leading to disaster. This is not to criticise those officers – they are good solid men and women but they lack the creative spark, the rogue element, I believe, Pike called it. And some who did have the spark were lost on Farragut, Potemkin and the rest at Vulcan.’

‘But what I did could so easily have gone wrong,’ said Kirk soberly.

‘And if it had gone wrong, Earth would have been destroyed, just as it would have been if Commander Spock had remained in command. But it did not go wrong because you also showed other sterling qualities: the qualities that enabled you to galvanise your young crew, to inspire them and at the same time to seek their help in finding a solution. Many commanders would have considered such cadets too young and inexperienced to have any useful input.’

Nogure leaned forward over the table. ‘Now I must also stress that if the Admiralty had not expelled you following the Narada incident, this same opportunity might not have been made available for you. I have reviewed your records and discussed your character at length with Admirals Pike, Barnett, Archer and others.’

‘Oops,’ whispered McCoy.

‘At that time you were brash, over-confident, but this past year of misfortune has tempered your character. Some in your situation might have turned to drink or drugs or taken to social media to criticise Starfleet, even regardless of threats of action that might be taken in respect of confidentiality breaches. But you did not. You kept your head down, you got a job in a quiet town and Jim Davis has earned the respect and friendship of many in Flintstone.’

‘What? You’ve been checking up on me?’ Jim squeaked in alarm.

‘Yes and all reports are of a hard worker who still has found time to do volunteer work on the roof of the local children’s home as well as helping neighbours. And finding time, I might say, to publish some very interesting papers.’

Nogura turned in his seat. ‘And now moving on to you, Doctor. Again, I apologise for the strong arm action taken by certain parties in order to ensure your co-operation with the lies. Starfleet has much to thank you for: for taking over as Chief Medical Officer during the Narada attack following the death of Doctor Puri, for your work in saving Christopher Pike’s life and we have repaid you very badly. Again I have received excellent reports of your work in Cheyenne and Flintstone but hope you will also consider rejoining the fleet – as Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise.’

For once, McCoy found himself at a lost for something to say. All the tirades he had prepared in his mind before the meeting, all the anger on Jim’s behalf and his own seemed to have trickled away.

As it happened, Nogura did not wait for a response. ‘I appreciate that this is a lot to take in, gentlemen. You will need some time to reflect, but I sincerely hope that you can move past the wrongs that have been done to you and join with us in rebuilding Starfleet into a better and stronger organisation. I will be in San Francisco for the next two days.   Please contact me when you have an answer to give.’

He stood, indicating the meeting was at an end.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thinking over Nogura's offer.

Two dazed men were escorted out of Command Headquarters, blinking in the bright sunshine which had dispelled the earlier mist.

‘Can we go somewhere quiet?’ Kirk asked, looking around. There were too many men and women in uniform here. ‘Maybe the Maritime Museum, Hyde Street pier? It should be quieter this time of day.’

‘Yeah, that’d be good. We could just sit in the grounds and chill, look out over the bay.’

‘Yeah. There’s a lot to take in.’

They were both silent in the cab that took them to the Museum, silent as they found an empty bench with a view over the Bay and the historic ships docked at the pier, including Jim’s favourite, the 1886 square rigger _Balclutha_. The Museum itself was due to close shortly and most of the tourists had headed back to the Wharf. They sat down heavily.

‘I can’t believe that just happened,’ said Kirk after a long pause.

‘I can’t believe that I went through that entire meeting and only said about ten words. I had everything rehearsed that I wanted to say. Man, I’ve been only going over it in my mind for the last year, I was gonna let rip - and then when it comes to it – nothing.’

‘Ten words? I think that was about five more words than me. _Enterprise_ , Bones. They want to give me _Enterprise_.’

‘Yeah, well you deserve it …. Captain Kirk.’

‘Don’t,’ Kirk said putting his head in his hands and rubbing them through his hair.

‘Don’t what? It’s what you’ve always wanted, what you’ve dreamed about and finally, _finally,_ Starfleet is recognising what you’ve done and recognising that you’re the best hope they’ve got. It took some time, but they finally got there.’

There was a long silence. Then, ‘I’m not sure it is what I want anymore.’

McCoy snorted. ‘‘No, Jim. That’s self doubt talking. It’s been a shock that’s all.’

‘No, Bones, listen to me. Jim Kirk was a jerk, a self-centred arrogant jerk. Everybody knew that. Maybe it’s better – maybe _I’m_ better as Jim Davis.’

‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ McCoy growled. He stood up, paced a couple of steps and then turned back to where Jim was sitting. He knelt before him taking Jim’s hands in his own, forcing their eyes to meet.

‘Now you listen to me. Jim Davis is a nice guy, but he’s not you. He’s not my best friend. My best friend is Jim Kirk and always will be. Yes, he can be an arrogant, know-it-all who pisses people off, but he’s also kind and brave and loyal, everything you want in a friend. And he has courage, integrity, ingenuity – everything you want in a Starship captain..’

‘And good looking, don’t forget that,’ Jim added with a wan smile.

‘Don’t push it too far,’ McCoy warned.

‘That’s probably what Starfleet really wants - a pretty face for their recruitment posters.’

‘They could do that without giving you the main seat. Nogura strikes me as a man who knows what he’s doing and it looks like Admiral Pike thinks so too. Think about what he said. They’ve considered other candidates and come up short. They’re not offering it to you as an apology for what Starfleet did to you, or even as a reward for defeating Nero. They’re offering it to you because they know they need the best in that chair. Starfleet and the Federation are still in a precarious situation. They know that the Klingons, the Romulans and God knows who else could think this is their opportunity and Starfleet needs strong leadership. That’s you, James Tiberius Kirk. Not Jim Davis, not George Kirk’s son, but you.’

McCoy rose and sat back on the bench with a huff.

‘That was quite a speech.’

‘Well, I didn’t get the chance to rant at Nogura so I might as well rant at you.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Jim, every day I think how close we came to losing it all, just like Vulcan. I think of my mom and my little girl, my friends and colleagues, the people in the diner even and think how close they all came to disappearing forever. And they didn’t because you made a stand and you brought us all with you. But it could happen again – we don’t know who or what else is out there – and if it does, well, I want to know that you’re out there defending us, not fixing Eric Holstein’s tractor.’

He took a pause for breath. ‘But if you don’t want to accept Nogura’s offer, that’s your decision, of course. But I’m gonna miss you.’

‘What?’ Kirk said with suspicion.

‘Well, you heard the man. I’m gonna be Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise. I hope to God they get a good Captain, somebody I can get along with.’

‘What? Bones, I can’t ask you to go out into the black. You’ve got what you always wanted – a good job at the hospital, a couple of days a week playing at being an old country doctor just like you always said. You get to see Joanna.’ Jim looked out over the Bay. He didn’t want to say ‘I can’t go without you’, didn’t want to apply that emotional pressure and ruin Bones’ life – but in truth he could in no way envisage a life in Starfleet, in the chair of Enterprise, without Bones at his side.

McCoy sighed and rubbed his forehead. ‘Well, to tell you the truth, being an old country doctor ain’t what I thought it would be. It’s boring. In fact, it’s damn dull. What do I get in Flintstone? A couple of kids a week with scraped knees or strep throat or Mrs Johannson with her rheumatism. A trained monkey could deal with the medical side of things – people just want to gossip or complain and you may not know this, but I ain’t the most sociable type.’

‘Would never have guessed, ‘ Jim said softly with a grin.

‘Even being Head of Neurology in Cheyenne – it sounds good, it looks good on the office door, but there’s no challenge. The technology takes care of mostly everything anyway or the junior doctors do it. I just come along once in a while to do a consult and look important. And do you know how many non-Terran patients I’ve had since taking up that post? None, zero, zilch. All that time training in xenobiology and whatnot at the Academy and there’s nobody to use it on.’ He smiled wryly. ‘Turns out I need a challenge just as much as James Tiberius Kirk. I’ve got to get my brain working again or it’s just going to seize up on me one day. So while I can’t say that I look forward to going back into the black with _great_ anticipation, I know that that’s where the interesting work is and that’s where you’re going to be, so I guess sign me up.’

‘And Joanna?’

‘Now you know I love my little girl more than anything, but I think is a situation where we have to weigh the greater good. Joanna would be dead if Nero had had his way and who knows what other murdering madmen are out there just waiting for a shot at the Earth? Starfleet needs you to protect her and everybody else and you need me to protect you so you don’t kill yourself tripping over a daisy or something equally stupid. And I’ll have the weight of Starfleet behind me to ensure I get access when we get leave and I’ll still be able to comm her regularly.’

‘You’ve thought about this,’ Jim said looking at him quizzically.

‘Yeah, guesss I have. We’re both getting another chance, Jim and we need to take it. Okay?’

After a pause, Jim grinned. ‘Wow. Captain of the Enterprise.’

‘Yeah, maybe you’d better start working on a speech for whatever ceremony Nogura’s got planned. Wow’s not gonna cut it.’

‘Yeah. I guess we better call his office and arrange for another meeting to give him our decision. I’m going to want to get a couple of assurances from him first.”

‘Like what?’

‘Well, I want to know that I’ll have a say in crew selection for a start, senior crew at least. Every new Captain gets that.’

McCoy frowned. ‘Look, Jim. Be careful here. Don’t push it.’

‘Like you said, Bones. They need me more than I need them. I don’t think they’ll put up much of a fight.’

They walked slowly through the park, a quiet time only spoiled when a clod of damp mud struck Jim on the back. He spun round to see a couple of scowling young men in Starfleet uniform.

‘What the hell are you doing back in town, Kirk? You’ve got some nerve showing your face,’ snarled one of them.

McCoy didn’t recognise them. He grabbed Kirk by the arm, but luckily Jim had no inclination to start a fight. He only smiled pleasantly at the two uniforms and walked on without a word.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So what has been happening on Enterprise meantime?

Acting Captain Jason Styles leant back in the command chair and surveyed the bridge of the USS Enterprise with satisfaction. The ship had been ordered back to Earth: that could mean only one thing. Command was ready to formally announce her new captain and mission and as far as Styles was concerned, he had it in the bag.

He had been in the chair for three months now and everything had run smoothly. True, the ship had just been on some cargo runs and routine patrols within Federation space – Starfleet was not going to risk its flagship so soon after the Narada disaster – but Styles had used that time to get suitable officers in post and impose his own command style, honed after two years in the chair of the USS _Azari_. Efficiency and effectiveness were his watchwords – the bridge ran like a well-oiled machine. None of this rubbish about a happy ship, a tight ship was what was needed after Narada. That was what Starfleet would be looking for and that was what he would give them.

As he sat back in the chair, he took some time to consider the changes he would make when the ship was officially his. He would bring his own First Officer, Commander Welchek, with him - a man after his own heart, who had been with him on the _Azari._ There had been some question initially of the Vulcan, Commander Spock, getting the post as First but Styles believed he would be better placed in the Science division. He wouldn’t say he couldn’t work with Vulcans – that would be career suicide – but there was something about Spock he did not like: that tendency to raise an eyebrow when receiving some of Styles’ orders. A First Officer should support his captain to the hilt.

And of course there was some talk about the Vulcan being in a relationship with that girl in Communications. That seemed unlikely, but then again he had questioned Styles’ decision to put the girl into the comms relay station, rather than the Bridge. She was a _cadet_ , for heaven’s sake. So what if she had been able to assist with some translations during the Narada crisis? She was a cadet. Styles wanted experienced staff on the Bridge.

For the same reason he was not having that teenage Russian as navigator. He might be bright but at the end of the day he was _nineteen years old_ and sometimes his accent was almost incomprehensible.

The pilot, Sulu, was acceptable as a relief. Bridge duty on gamma shift would allow him to build up experience under older wiser heads.

Hannity and Darwin – no. He would replace them. He had the feeling sometimes that they were talking about him behind his back.   There was a wealth of talent to choose from, officers and crew would be lining up to serve on the flagship with him and Admirals and Commodores would be looking to do favours to get their protégés (and/or relatives) places.

Yes, he, Jason Styles, was in a very good position.

“Hannity! No talking on the Bridge!”

\--------

“So, we’re heading back to San Francisco. I guess that means Command has finally made up its mind,” said Uhura, sitting back with a sigh and toeing off her boots.

“It would appear so,” said Spock.

Uhura glanced at his stiff spine as he sat at the nearby desk. Although they were both off duty, it did not appear that he was going to relax.

“Are you okay? Anything you want to tell me?”

Spock visibly prepared himself. “Nyota, I know that it was always our stated purpose to obtain positions together on Enterprise.”

“But? I hear a ‘but’ there.”

“If Captain Pike was in health to take command again, that would still be the object and I think there would have been no obstacle in our way. Captain Pike has always supported me and your academic record and your actions during the Narada incident would, no doubt, have guaranteed you a place. However, that is no longer the case. Captain Styles - .”

“Acting Captain Styles,” Uhura broke in darkly.

“Captain Styles, if he is offered permanent command, is likely to bring in his own senior staff…. and, in truth, I do not think I could work with the man anyway. He does not appreciate any assistance I have tried to give him and he has acted abominably towards you.”

Uhura grinned tiredly. “I was a cadet, Spock. It wasn’t likely that they were going to make me Communications Chief straight out of the Academy, regardless of what happened with Nero.”

“Nevertheless, to relegate you to the communications relay station is a wanton waste of your talents.”

“Yeah, well, okay I don’t like being stuck in the basement – metaphorically speaking,” she added hastily as she saw the Vulcan frown and ready himself to argue that Constitution-class starships did not have a basement. “I’m more concerned with how he’s treated you. Do you think he’s xenophobic?”

“No, I think he is simply a man who does not like to be questioned.”

“He’s a martinet, is what he is. A stickler for the rules, no matter how petty. There’s not an inch of flexibility in the man. I’m glad I’m not on the Bridge. From all accounts it’s hell on earth. Hannity says nobody is allowed to speak, no casual conversation even when nothing’s going on. And God forbid you should take a coffee up there with you.”

“It is strange,” Spock mused with a half-smile. “Some time ago I would have considered that to be an appropriate, professional working atmosphere. I would not have recognised how counter-productive it could be.”

“Yeah, we’ve contaminated you all right,” she grinned.

“Taking all factors into account, if Captain Styles is offered the chair on a permanent basis, I consider that we should seek a transfer to another vessel.”

“Don’t worry, Spock. I’m with you on this one. Enterprise isn’t what she was. I know I didn’t know Captain Pike, but even Kirk was better than this.”

“Yes, I must admit to having been agreeably surprised by Cadet Kirk,” Spock said with a sigh, sitting down beside Nyota. “While I initially considered him reckless and arrogant, he proved himself able in the ensuing action and worked well in the following days to motivate the crew under difficult circumstances. I could not understand the unnecessarily harsh action taken against him by the Admiralty and, as you know, I was very concerned by the fabrication in which we were all required to participate.”

“You know there’s not a one of us who didn’t feel dirty about that farago of lies. Spock, it wasn’t just you.”

“The resignation of Doctor McCoy was also a great loss to the service.”

“Well, Leonard was always joined at the hip with Kirk and, to tell you the truth, I’m glad he got out. He’s working in Wyoming now. He’s with Kirk.”

Spock swung round to look at her in surprise. “I was not aware of that. From whom did you get your information?”

Uhura grinned. “Well, apparently Kirk keeps in contact with Montgomery Scott, who is in contact with Gaila, who’s in contact with me. I don’t have much information, but I’m glad they’re okay.”

“Indeed.”

“And Chekov keeps in touch too, I think. Poor Pavel. He’s another one who’s not too happy. Maybe he’ll be looking for a transfer out too.” She sighed, pulling her pony tail from its band. “We started out with such great hopes and now look at us. Oh well, who knows? Maybe one day we’ll have a reunion.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those familiar with the Original Series movies may recognise Mr Styles. He was too good a character to leave out of my alternate universe.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is finally told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a lot of rehashing what has gone before but I couldn't see a way round it. Apologies if you find it boring.

“Bozhe moy,” breathed Pavel Chekov as he squeezed beside Hikaru Sulu. “I did not think it was possible to get so many people into the hall.”

They both looked round at a sea of officers in formal greys with a spattering of cadet reds.

“Yeah, they’re making a real thing of this announcement. Screens all over campus, press and media everywhere.”

“I suppose after all the bad news, they really want to make a splash. Enterprise didn’t get much of a formal send off last time.” Sulu sighed as they both remembered back to the day when officers and cadets had been scrambled to go to Vulcan’s aid – only to find Nero and the Narada waiting for them.   So many lost that day: good friends, acquaintances, people you liked, people you hated, people you passed in the hall. All gone and Starfleet and the Academy left bereft.

“Push over,” said Uhura coming up beside them.

“What is your seat number?” Chekov enquired.

“Don’t know, don’t care. I’m sitting with you. Spock had to go down front with Styles. God, I hate this. For two credits I’d just get up and leave. I can’t bear to watch Styles preening. I mean, what has he done to deserve this? Where was he when we went into battle?”

“I suppose it is not his fault that he was in the Laurentian system with the rest of the fleet,” said Chekov trying to be fair. “Look, is that Meester Scott? Meester Scott, Meester Scott – over here!”

A few officers frowned their displeasure at this shouting but they didn’t care. It was just so good to have everyone together.

“So laddies – and lasses – how’ve ye been keeping? I hear you’ve been kept busy on the lovely Enterprise, doing circles round Jupiter with Stickler Styles.” Another familiar face joined them.

“Oh it’s been a gas,” said Sulu dryly. “It’s hard to contain our excitement. What about you, Mr Scott? What have you been up to?”

“Oh, they’ve got me doing Basic Engineering 101 for the newbies at the Academy. I stand in front of a screen and say ‘This is a warp engine for when ye wanta go fast’ and ‘This is an impulse engine for when ye wanta go slow’. Nothing more detailed, ye understand. Their wee brains couldn’t cope with it. I’m thinking of requesting a transfer back to Delta Vega.”

Scott squeezed himself beside them, disregarding the fact that a couple of cadets were now being pushed out at the opposite end of the row. He gestured down to the stage. “So, ye think they’re going to make it permanent for the Stickler? Surely Starfleet canna be _that_ hard up. I’ve heard of scraping the bottom of the barrel but this is ridiculous.”

“Styles certainly thinks so,” said Sulu, looking down to the front row. “I guess he’s got some friends in high places.”

\------

In the wings as they waited for Nogura to arrive, Admiral Barnes nudged Archer in the side.

“Styles isn’t going to be too happy about this.”

“He’ll be the only one. Transfer requests are usually from people wanting to get _onto_ the flagship, not from people wanting to transfer off – and he’s only had her three months. Anyway, he should know that no promises were made. It was just a temporary posting.”

They glanced behind as Admiral Pike’s wheelchair came to join them.

“Chris? You okay?”

Pike grinned wryly. “Yeah, but I’m anticipating that this is going to be a long day with all the speeches so I thought I might as well be comfortable. Those fold up chairs they’ve put on stage are hard on the backside after twenty minutes.”

“He’s right,” said Barnett sadly, “but I guess it wouldn’t look too good bringing a cushion.”

“How’s your boy? No last minute nerves?” said Archer.

“Not that you can tell. He’s ready for this. He’s grown up since the Academy.”

“He certainly has. I can still hardly believe he got Nogura to agree to letting him pick his own team.”

_“Admirals, thank you for your confidence in giving me command of the Enterprise. I would ask you to extend that confidence in allowing me to appoint my own senior team. Some of these were with me at Vulcan. We were forged in the fire together and that experience, that bonding, cannot be replicated. Yes, some are recent graduates of the Academy, we were untried cadets a year ago, but their academic record speaks for itself, as does their conduct during that engagement._

_For myself, I recognise I will require intensive training before taking up post. Going from cadet to Captain is unheard of and I know that I have much to learn. I would ask that Admiral Pike again be my mentor in this and, I hope, for years to come. I am also not so naïve that I do not recognise that some part of my appointment will have PR benefits for Starfleet. A year ago I would have been angry at any attempt to use my name, my father’s name, for such purposes. I am older and wiser now and I recognise the vital necessity of boosting recruitment and Federation funding in rebuilding the fleet._

_”It was a radical decision to reinstate me and give me command of the Enterprise. I hope my actions henceforth will repay that trust.”_

Movement from the wings showed Admiral Nogura entering. He nodded courteously to his colleagues. “Well, gentlemen, let’s get this show on the road.”

The Admirals filed onto the stage, the auditorium falling silent. As Nogura entered to take his place at the podium, the command “Attention” had every member of the audience on its feet.

“Thank you, ladies, gentlemen, gentle-beings for being here on this auspicious occasion. Please take your seats.

“The importance of today’s event cannot be stressed highly enough and is the reason for the unprecedented access for so many press and media representatives. These proceedings are not only being beamed across Starfleet and the Academy, but across mainstream media channels across the Federation. I see many puzzled faces. Do not be alarmed. We are not at war. We are here for a happier purpose.

“It has been more than a year now that officers, crew and cadets were scrambled to offer emergency aid to Vulcan. We did not know then what we would be facing. On a mercy mission within Federation space, our ships went in with shields down and paid the price at the hands of Nero and the Narada. The destruction of Vulcan is still almost unbelievable.” (This was true, already there were a number of conspiracy theorists who believed the footage was fake and that the whole thing was simply a cover for Vulcan’s wish to secede from the Federation.)

“The Federation President, Madam Beatrix Zaiad, was pleased to announce some weeks ago that a new homeworld had been identified for the survivors of the Vulcan race and every effort will be made to help our Vulcan brothers and sisters start to rebuild their civilisation.

“However, the aftermath of the Narada incident had other repercussions within Starfleet. Some members of the Admiralty believed that the destruction of so much of our fleet would lay the Federation wide open to attack. They believed that if our enemies learned that Nero had been defeated by untried cadets, those enemies would see this as a mere fluke and only serve to emphasise the fact that so many of our experienced officers and crew had been killed.

Starfleet Command, therefore, decided to rewrite events to show that Nero was defeated by a strong experienced force. However, this action – while done with the best of intentions - served to deny the courage and ingenuity showed by the cadets on board the USS Enterprise and one, in particular, Cadet James Tiberius Kirk.”

There was a surprised murmur across the auditorium. Nogura silenced them with an imperious wave.

“It is now time for the truth to be told. James Kirk was facing an Academy hearing following his actions with regard the Kobayashi Maru test. Starfleet members will be aware of this test for senior cadets, The purpose of the test is to see how our cadets cope with a seemingly unwinnable situation. Cadet Kirk took the test twice and scored very highly, but disagreed with the concept of the no-win scenario behind the test. He, therefore, altered the programming of the test so that on his third attempt he was able to beat the scenario. This resulted in him being called before the Board on a charge of academic cheating.

“As I have said, it was during this hearing that the distress call from Vulcan was received and all ships were immediately scrambled to go to the planet’s assistance. This included a large number of our senior cadets, but not Cadet Kirk. As he was still facing academic discipline, he was effectively suspended pending the conclusion of his hearing. However, with some assistance, Cadet Kirk stowed away on the USS Enterprise so that he too could join the rescue effort and we thank all the gods and goddesses of the Federation that he did so because it was Cadet Kirk who recognised that the Starfleet vessels were flying into a trap. He was able to warn Captain Pike in time for the Enterprise to raise her shields and thus escape the fate of her fellow starships.

“Captain Pike – at the behest of Nero – took a shuttle to the Narada in an attempt to buy some time while a team, including Cadet Kirk, space dived to destroy the drill being used by Nero to plant his singularity device into the core of Vulcan. As we know, their efforts were too late. Nero delivered his deadly weapon and Vulcan was destroyed.

“The Enterprise then faced a terrible dilemma. Should they leave the field to rejoin the rest of the fleet in the Laurentian system or should they attack Nero, whose goal was now to destroy the Earth.   Commander Spock, having faced the destruction of his home planet and the loss of his own mother, declared himself emotionally compromised and Cadet Kirk, who had been named as Spock’s First Officer by Captain Pike before his departure, took command. It was Kirk, with the assistance of other cadets on the Enterprise, who came up with the plan to board the Narada, destroy the drill which now threatened Earth and rescue Captain Pike. At the same time, Commander Spock would commandeer a Vulcan ship which had been stolen by Nero and use his own singularity weapon against him.   It was a plan fraught with risk, the fate of Earth itself in the balance, but it worked. Nero was defeated and Earth was saved and Enterprise returned in triumph.

“With one exception. To the eternal shame of Starfleet, Cadet – Acting Captain – Kirk was removed from the Enterprise and taken back to face a tribunal. He was expelled from the Academy and his part in the engagement was deleted from the record. All other officers and crew were bound under strictest confidence to adhere to the new version of events, which instead highlighted the roles of Captain Pike and Commander Spock in defeating Nero. As I have said, this decision was made with good intentions to preserve the safety of the Federation but it was the wrong decision, which not only impacted severely on James Kirk but which also cost Starfleet a potentially outstanding officer.

“We are here today to right that wrong and to formally recognise the leading role played by James Kirk in the defeat of the Narada. I am pleased to say that we have prevailed upon Mr Kirk to rejoin the service and I call on him now to receive the Federation’s highest award, the Medal of Honour, recognising conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy.”

Again there was another loud murmur across the auditorium as James Kirk walked across the stage. Clad in formal greys with his cap under his arm, he stood in front of Admiral Nogura as he pinned the decoration to his chest.

“On behalf of a grateful Federation.”

The murmur did not last long because the auditorium was now echoing with cheers, the audience standing and clapping and stamping, led by the Enterprise contingent.

After a suitable pause, Nogura again waved the audience to silence.

“I now call on Admiral Barnett as Head of Starfleet Academy.”

Barnett came forward.

“Cadet Kirk, while the Academy may originally have disagreed with your actions with regard to the Kobyashi Maru simulation, the fact that you took the test on two previous occasions, achieving two of the highest scores seen in the test’s history, must be taken into consideration and we now find ourselves in agreement that the concept of the test was flawed and possibly even counter-productive and that you were correct to challenge it. We are therefore pleased to award you with this commendation for original thinking.”

Again another cheer from the crowd.

Barnett silenced them with a glance and continued. “Cadet Kirk, your inspirational valour and supreme dedication to your comrades are in keeping with the highest traditions of the service and reflect utmost credit upon yourself, your crew and the Federation. By Starfleet Order Two -eighty-four-five five, you are hereby directed to report to the formal officer of command of USS Enterprise, Admiral Christopher Pike, for assignment as his relief.”

There was an initial silence as the audience tried to take this in. They watched as Kirk moved to where Admiral Pike sat.

“Admiral Pike, I relieve you.”

“Captain Kirk, I am relieved.”

It was Leonard McCoy who leapt to his feet, leading the stamping and cheering. The deafening applause more than covered the howl of protest from the front as a disgruntled and shocked Jason Styles squeaked “No, this isn’t right. It was promised to me!”

Christopher Pike warmly shook Kirk’s hand. “Congratulations, Jim. If I couldn’t have her, there’s no one else I’d rather have in the seat.”

“Thank you sir. I’ll try to make you proud.”

“I know you will. But don’t get too excited – and not too much celebrating tonight. You’ve three months of extensive training ahead of you, not to mention your Captain’s dissertation, and I’m going to be on your back all the way.”

“I’m relying on it, sir.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparation for taking command.

First meeting with Barnett

“Right, Kirk. We’ve put together an accelerated schedule for you. Attendance is compulsory. You may have the brains but you’re missing twelve years experience. Advanced weapons and defence systems, advanced diplomacy and negotiation skills, civil liaison, maritime law, senior staff management, conflict resolution, senior level administration which covers the variety of reports a commanding officer is required to submit as well as protocols for the Captain’s Log – Admiral Olga Marston will be taking that, she’s a real ball-breaker so good luck - logistics, cargo protocols, health and safety………”

The list went on and Kirk’s head began to spin.

“Oh and you need to submit your Captain’s dissertation topic by the end of the week.”

\-------

From: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

To: LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

Bones. I’ve just got my schedule for the next three months. Agghh!   I probably won’t be able to see you for a while – or eat – or sleep so I just wanted to check that you have confirmed your CMO posting? From Captain James T. Kirk, commander USS Enterprise.

From LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

To: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

Are you going to write that on everything? Even post-its on the fridge? Yes, I have confirmed – and my schedule is almost as bad. Do you know how many reports a CMO has to make? On a regular basis? Even before anybody gets sick? I’m a doctor, not a paper-pusher!

From: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

To: LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

Firstly, yes. I am. Secondly, you can’t have as many reports to do as I have. But at least I’m signing them: Captain James T. Kirk, commander USS Enterprise. By the way, I do have to make time to go back to Flintstone to thank everybody and say goodbye so let’s try and find time to go together.

From LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

To: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

Yeah. I have to go to Cheyenne as well. I put my formal resignation in to the hospital but I want to say goodbye to a few folks as well.

From: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

To: LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

Yeah, give them time to get the big party ready.

From LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

To: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

What? They wouldn’t, would they? They can just sign a leaving card. I wasn’t there that long. No party. I’m not a party person.

From: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

To: LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

I would never have guessed.

\---------

 

Passing by Lecture Theatre 4.3.b, Jim heard some despairing Scottish tones.

“What’s a coupling, ye say? What’s a _coupling_? Well, it _couples_ things. That’s what it is.”

Jim opened the door and stuck his head round. “Scotty. Chief Engineer, okay?”

Montgomery Scott looked up in surprise and then joy. “Right with you, Captain. Right lads and lassies, just continue on reading the manual and – and – and someone else will be along shortly.”

\----------

 

Uhura looked up as Spock entered the small apartment they had rented while Enterprise was in port, awaiting handover to its new captain.

She frowned at him. “What’s the matter? You look kind of shell shocked. Is it the Enterprise? Have you seen Kirk?”

Spock sat down with a thud. “I must admit that the term ‘shell-shocked’ is not far from the mark. Nyota, he has asked me to be his First Officer.”

“What? But that’s… good, isn’t it? Have you accepted?”

“I have asked for time to consider.”

“Why? It’s _Enterprise_ and okay, it’s not Pike, but it’s not Styles either. You’re not going to be buried down in the labs, but on the Bridge where you should be.”

“I must admit that it is a good offer, however, I must consider the potential working relationship with Captain Kirk. Our experience to date would not seem to bode well for the future.”

“What did Kirk say?”

“He acknowledged that we had had our difficulties, but pointed out that in the last few days before he was removed forcibly from Enterprise, we had been working well together to effect repairs and motivate the crew. He also stated that he was not looking for what he called a ‘yes man’ in the post, particularly given his own lack of command experience. He said he needed someone who would not hesitate to challenge him when he was wrong, as it was likely that sometimes he might be wrong. Although he stressed that this would be only on very rare occasions.”

Uhura grinned. “He’s grown up a lot.”

“Yes. He was also quite honest in telling me that my taking the post would not only provide some continuity for the crew, in that I was to have been Captain Pike’s First, but would also give the Admiralty more confidence in his own ability to take the chair.”

“Boy, he’s _really_ grown up a lot. You should accept. You know you want to.”

“It may be academic. His command is dependent upon satisfactory completion of the three month training devised by the Academy and his Captain’s dissertation. Most officers take a year to write and submit their dissertation.”

“Three months? Kirk’s probably got it written already.”

“There is also your own career to consider,” Spock said gravely.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I have no doubts of my own abilities. I won’t be in the basement for long.”

\-----------------

In fact, Uhura received a comm message from Kirk the following day, requesting a meeting at a local coffee shop, a place popular with locals and Academy personnel because of its retro feel, having service staff and freshly brewed beverages rather than automated selections from a replicator. Curious to see how wonderboy had changed after his year away from the Fleet and also wanting to thank him for offering Spock the post of First Officer, she agreed.

He was early, already waiting for her and looking at his watch. She huffed a little to herself, she was only a minute or two late.

“Lieutenant, thanks for coming. Can I get you something?”

“Just a latte, thanks.”

She studied him as he turned to catch the eye of the waitress. He looked… older, thinner and tired with dark shadows under his eyes. She guessed that Barnett’s training programme was beginning to hit home. She also got the feeling that the impact of that past year, of being thrown out of the Academy, publicly disgraced, had left a mark that would take a long time to heal.

“I wanted to thank you for Spock,” she said as he turned back. “It means a lot. Styles was… well, he didn’t appreciate Spock, let’s leave it at that.”

“Hey, I need Spock so I’m the one who’s grateful and I’m not so naïve that I think our working relationship is going to be plain sailing. He’s going to rub me up the wrong way and I’m going to irritate him – immensely. But it wasn’t Spock I wanted to discuss. It was you. I want you to be my Communications Chief. What do you say?”

He chuckled as her cup froze halfway to her mouth.

“What?”

“You heard me. I want you on the Bridge.”

“But, but…. I’ve only just graduated.”

“Yeah? I was expelled and they made me Captain. Look, it’s the same for all of us. Me, you, McCoy, Scotty. We know our stuff and that’s what’s important. And we’ve shared some life-changing experience. Like I’ve told Nogura – and Barnett, and Archer and everyone else who has an opinion on it – we’ve been through the fire together and that’s created something special between us. It’s not necessarily going to make us bosom buddies, but I think we can work together as a team. Whaddya say?”

“Well, Styles had me at the comms relay station.”

“In the basement, huh?”

“He didn’t think I had the experience to be on the Bridge.”

“And if he had been in the Enterprise seat instead of Pike at Vulcan, he would still have some junior officer trying to translate Romulan with Google Translate rather than ask a cadet who could actually speak the language. All three dialects.”

Uhura appreciated the confidence – and told Kirk so – but still had some misgivings.

“Look, Uhura. You know communications, linguistics, all the techy stuff. You know that inside out. Like the rest of us, it’s probably just the admin side that you’re going to have to get to grips with. The staff management, the budgeting, the endless reports. Bones and Scotty are already bending my ear about it. That’s the kind of stuff we haven’t really got to grips with yet and we have three months to do it. If you accept the post, there’s a heavy workload with your name on it. Spock’s lucky. Because he kind of got to where he is the normal way, he already knows this stuff. Now, I’m going to have to run – I have a maritime law session this afternoon with Wong, search and seizure and all that kind of stuff – so think about it and if you could let me know asap, that would be great. Because if you don’t want it, I have to find somebody else. And I also have a few other people to talk to – Sulu and Chekov for one. I mean, two.”

He took a final swallow from his mug and stood to leave.

“I want it,” said Uhura. “It’ll be hard but I’m not going to turn this type of opportunity down and then regret it six months later.”

Kirk smiled as her comm pinged. “That’ll probably be your new schedule coming through.”

“What?” Uhura gasped. “What about giving me time to think about it?”

“Oh come on, like you really need time to think about it. You were always going to take it. It’s _Enterprise_.”

“You arrogant, conceited … jackass,” Uhura fumed, not sure whether she was serious or not.

He grinned. “Like I said, just like old times. See you in three months.”

As he walked to the door, she called his name. He looked back raising an eyebrow quizzically.

“I – just want to know. What do you think about this? Really. I mean becoming Captain.”

He smiled ruefully. “Really I don’t have much time to think about it. Which is a good thing. Because if I do think about it, I feel sick to my stomach. But don’t tell anybody. I have an image to maintain.”

And then he out the door and gone.

 

\------

 

From: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

To: LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

Hey Bones. Wanna know what I was learning about this afternoon in maritime law? VBSS. Visit, Board, Search and Seizure. Basically I can pull other ships over and search them and confiscate stuff. Like if we found a ship smuggling Romulan Ale. This course should really be called Pirates 101.

 

From LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

To: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

I can see you’re not going to let the power go to your head. Just remember: any confiscated Romulan Ale or other consumables has to come to Medical first.

 

From LHMcCoy@sfacad.fed

To: jtkirk@sfacad.fed

For testing.

\-------

 

Dissertation meeting with Admiral Pike

“Okay, analysis of the second Andorian campaign. I’ve got your first draft and what I want to know, _what we all want to know_ , is how on earth did you get an interview with General Shran?”

“Well, he’s retired back to Andor and Mom was over in that direction and I asked her if she’d ask him.”

“ _You asked your mom_? Do you know how many historians and tacticians have been going through diplomatic channels for years trying to engage with the General, all without success? _And you asked your mom_?”

“Oh. I didn’t know you had to go through diplomatic channels. I think Mom just looked his number up on the net. Should I not have done it? He seemed quite happy to be speaking to me. I think the old guy liked reliving the old campaigns. He even showed me his medals. And the interview transcript counted for a few thousand extra words in the dissertation so everybody was happy.”

Admiral Pike just stared.

“Oh and he’s going to set up a sub-space round table for me with him and all his old cronies. General Threll, General Telev, some others. I think they’re bringing in some Romulan Ale and some snacks so I’m not actually sure how much useful information I’ll get before they disappear under the table but it’s all good stuff, right?”

 


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new beginning.

Captain James T. Kirk entered the bridge of the USS Enterprise and looked around him. He smiled when he saw McCoy was already there, frowning at the main viewscreen although it showed nothing more than the beams and struts of the space dock.

“Come on, Bones. Buckle up!” he said, slapping McCoy on the shoulder as he passed.

“Buckle up is right,” groused McCoy. “What the hell am I am letting myself in for?”

He leaned close over Kirk’s shoulder. “You okay? How do you feel?”

How did he feel? Proud, exhilarated, scared stiff, but most of all determined.

He looked around at his young crew. Surely all of them – with the exception of Spock – must be feeling much the same as he was. His crew. His family although they did not know it yet, but he knew. There were a lot of people out there just waiting for him to fail. Archer had told him with glee that Komack had been apoplectic when he heard of Kirk’s appointment. There were also plenty of more senior officers who felt they had been passed over for nothing more than a PR exercise.

Well, he was going to show them. He was going to work harder than he had ever worked in his life. He was going to take advice wherever he could find it: from Spock, from Pike, from any member of his crew. It didn’t matter that Chekov was only eighteen (no, now nineteen, of course) – if he had a good idea, Kirk was going to run with it. He was going to make this work. _They_ were going to make this work.

*I feel good, Bones.”

He settled in the chair. It felt right, particularly when McCoy came to stand at his shoulder.

“Stardock reports ready for departure, Captain,” said Uhura turning in her chair.

“Acknowledge with our thanks, Lieutenant,” Kirk said leaning forward. He hit the comm button to Engineering. “Scotty, everything okay down there?”

“Purrin’ like a wee kitten, sir.” Before the connection broke, Kirk would have sworn he heard someone say “Get down from there”.

“Okay, Mr Sulu. Release all moorings and take us out one quarter impulse.”

“One quarter impulse, aye sir.”

They pulled away from space dock, slowly, majestically, through the solar system and into the void. A new mission. A new beginning.

“ _Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, its mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading and for the lovely comments. They are much appreciated.


End file.
